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Blog

Staying Safe in Stop and Go Traffic

May 25th, 2015

Whether you are sitting in rush hour or on a long drive to the beach, stop-and-go traffic can be frustrating and extremely tiresome. You are ready to be at your destination, but you’re trapped among a sea of vehicles – often seemingly for no good reason at all.

When stuck in stop-and-go traffic, it is important to stay relaxed and remain focused on the road. Other drivers will be losing their patience and letting distractions interfere with their driving, and this puts them at greater risk of causing an accident. Here are some tips for staying safe in stop-and-go traffic:

Try to Leave Plenty of Buffer

The general rule is that you should leave at least a two-second buffer between your car and the vehicle in front of you. When you are stopped, you want to leave enough room so that – if you get rear ended – you do not get pushed into another vehicle.

This can be difficult to judge in stop-and-go traffic. It can also be largely out of your control. Other drivers tend to tailgate in slow-moving situations, and when they are not paying attention, sudden stops and starts can lead them to come perilously close to causing an accident.

Let Aggressive and Inattentive Drivers Go On Their Way

The best thing you can do when a vehicle is uncomfortably close in your rear-view mirror is to let them go on their way. If the person behind you is tailgating or seeming to brake too late each time traffic slows ahead, try to safely change lanes and let them pass.

While none of us like to cater to bad drivers, the road is one place where it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Resist the Temptation to Pick Up Your Phone

Sitting in traffic is boring. There are no two ways about it. But, it is still important to remain focused on your surroundings at all times. Distractions can prevent you from seeing a vehicle that is about to sideswipe you or hit you from behind. Some of these accidents will be unavoidable. But, if you see them coming, you will have a better chance of protecting yourself from serious injury.

All drivers should stay vigilant in stop-and-go traffic, and that means keeping your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. Rhode Island and Massachusetts have both banned texting while driving, and Rhode Island is considering a law that would ban all handheld cell phone use behind the wheel.

Staying safe in stop-and-go traffic is as much about focusing on other drivers’ behaviors as it is about focusing on your own. While you cannot prevent other drivers from being careless, if you practice some basic defensive driving tactics, you may be able to avoid allowing their bad decisions to lead to an accident.

Aggressive and distracted drivers regularly cause accidents in stop-and-go traffic. If you have been injured in a collision, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Contact the Bottaro Law Firm today to learn more.